Concentrator.



A. BARlNG-GOULD.

CONCENTRATOR.

APPUCATION FILED MAR. 28, 19W.

Patented Mar. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1' a "i, u 15; i3:

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A. BARlNG-GOULD.

CONCENTRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2B. 1913.

1,296,737. Patented Mar. 11,1919. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. Ariiazrflmgg 4141"] d r BY 7 f -rm ATTORNEY rnn'r g To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR BAKING- GoULD, a subject of Great Britain, residing at Placerville, in the county ofiEldorado and State of- California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Concentrators'; and I do declare the following to be a clear, full, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings,'and to the characters of ref erence marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in concentrators used for separating precious metals from slime or similarimaterial. The object of the invention is to'provide an eflicient means for separating the precious metals from the dross-by a gravity process,

whereby the specific gravities of the several elements will be themain contributingcause of the separation thereof. By such a means, I aim to handle the slimes without subjecting the same to a wash, since this always entails a certain amount of loss of the pres cious metals. 7

My improved invention embodies a grav ity concentrator whereby the material drops a total distance through still Ewater suf- V ficient to allow the metal' of the greatest specific 'gravity'to separate itself from the balance and be caught in a'receptacle at the base of the concentrator. I also provide catch recepta-clesarranged at successively lesser distances to catch the material having lesser specific gravities. The dross, which of course has the least specific gravity of any of the material, isdrained off at a point'above all the other receptacles.

In order to accomplish the-functions of catching the material of different specific gravities, I interpose a system of catch gates which are timed to close in on the several materials of different specific gravities at spaced points, and in thismanner insure the separation of the same. 'A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects, I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of the parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. 7

On the drawings, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Specification of Letters Patent.

CONCENTBATOR.

roe. I i v Patented Mar. 11, 1919. Application filed March 28, 1918; Serial No. 225,353.

Figure 'l is a front elevation ofthe complete concentrator, partly broken out and in sectlon. V V

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the salne taken on a line XX of Fig. 1. i r

' Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawin'gs; the numeral 1 designates the concentrating tank end of the spout, while all of them are arranged to move through the spout in successive'order to push a predetermined "amount of the material from the spout into the tank 1, all in a manner as will presently appear.

The tank 1 is provided with an inclined bottom discharge chute 8 which empties through a valve controlled pipe 9 into the collecting box 10, which may be normally sealed by a lock or other means 11.

On the front end of the tank 1 are three or more collecting receptacles 12, 13 and 14:, respectively, each being in communication with the tank 1 through the door openings 15, 16 and 17 respectively. The receptacles flanges successively form the closure for the 12, 13 and 14 are normally divided into separate compartments 12 and 12 13 and 13 and 14*" and 14 by means of sliding gates 18,19 and 2Q, respectively. When these gates are operated to open communica'' tion between their respective chambers they, at'the same time, move across and close. communication through the tank 1 whereby said tank is then divided into subdivisions A, B, C and D for a purpose as will be 5 presently noted. 7 These gates 18, 19 and 20 areall operated at one time by means of the following mechanism, namely: Bell cranks 21, 22 and 23 are 7.

mounted below the said gates outside of the receptacles- One'end of these bell cranks is connected with v'ertical'rods24 and the opposite ends are connected with push rods 18, 19 and 20* connected with the gates 18, 19 and 20, respectively.

The upper ends of the rods 24 are guided through any suitable support 25 and are provided with arms 26 engageable with lifting cams 27 mounted on a driven shaft28.

spectively, within th receptacles 12 to 14,

respectively, as shown Fig. 2. Agate 30 normally closes the opening 17 from the tank 1 into the receptacle '14. Said gate is slidable vertically and is provided with vertical rods 31 guided through upper supports 32 and provided with arms 33 engageable with cams 34: onthe shaft 28. The rods 21 have return weights 31 I On therear end of the shaft 28 is a bushing cam 85; These cams are operable to push the dogs 7 35, which engage ratchet wheels-36,- on shafts 37 On these shafts 37 are pinions '38 which engage pinions 39 on the shaft 6 Thus with the revolution of the driven shaft; 28, the shaft 6 is rotated intermittently to operate the gate flanges 7. Tater is admitted tojthe reservoir 2, and tank '1 by means'ofan inlet pipe 40 controlled jby'a catch'valveelowhereby the level of the vwa'ter may at all times be slightly above the inlet 5.

, In practice, power is applied continuously to the shaft 28 whereby it operates the variousmechanism so connected therewith. The

operationof the device is asfollows, namely Thegate flanges 7 operate at predetermined times and push a small quantity of the material from the inlet 5into thetank 1. Thisifmaterial drops through the water in the tank 1 by gravity, that having the greatest specifie gravity, such as gold for instance, dropsfaster than the balance of the materialand reaches the box 9 very quickly.

' The rotation of the shaft 28' is timed so that after the gold or other precious metal of the greatest specific gravity has had a chance,

topass completelythrough the tank 1, the cams '27 and 34 are operated to lift their respective rods '24 and 31. This action,

through the mediumof the bell cranks and othef construction, so forces the gates 18, 19 and 20} into the tankfl to separate the same into "the respective'chambers A, C, and D. V

' Thus the material of diflerent specific ravities is separated within the tank. enc'e,

thatc'l lesser specific gravitythan the gold or otherprecious metal which is passed into the box 10, but greater than other material is caught" in the compartment G and divert ed thr oughwthe opening 15 into the receptacle where it, together with any other; material fwhichhas accumulatedin V the com P i ti 5 pas e i 'n b "t pa ment 'th iaugran u rp p 2%:

any catchireceptale,"bii or bucket similar to that sh; n '13? (the'particular one wh li' w s seem s t- M2? not be,

ing shown for lack of, room on the drawing).

The next gradeof material is shut off by the gate 19 in the compartment B and is divergedthrough theopening 16 into the receptacle 13. Here it, together with what has accumulated in the compartment 13 passes into the compartment 13 and out through' the"outlet 13 to the catch bin 13 Such catch bin is provided with a draw-01f 30 will simultaneously open and such dross, 7

and dirty water will drain of]? through the compartments -1 land 14 and a, discharge pipe 1 1 which may dischargeat any de-' sired point, After this dirty vatcrhas g5 drained oil, the compartment A will here; filled with fresh, water from the pipe 40,

When this is done, the cams havereleased r the lifting rods ofthe gatesand the weights I? pull them back to normal position. This'oo clears the vertical passageway through the tank-1 and shuts {off thecollecting receptaf cles. Thereupon,"the device functions'again;

in the same manner as shown.

' The lower end of the tank washediet by means of a valveoc'ontrolled. waterinlet pipe 42.

From the foregoin description, will readily be seen that I ave produced suchafl, device as substantially fulfils the objects of the invention as set forthQherein! While this specificationsets ,forthin' dey a the P nt dtr e red onstru tin c of the device,"fstill in practice, such devia J v v ,195 not form a ur li mae sp rpf, the invention, as defined 1 gppenge tions from such ,detailma'y'be resortedito as claims. e

Having thus described my invention, what I claimfas' new and useful anddesire to'se;

cure by Letters Patent is;

1. A concentratorcomprisingatankfilled l .with water, a receptaclefor the precious metals positioned at the bottom of the vering intothe upper 'endflofthetank, a'shaft; turnable ad acent the spout, gate flangesffli tical tank,a material delivery spoutproject-l the shaft each alternately forming .a elogur;

' and amaterial measure and pusherforj the 12K spout, power actuatedniean's{controlling the from the spout into'the .tankfatfpredeter- 'm'ined times and fall by gravity fthere Q h an powe act a ed means for. s n arating materials of different specific ties duringthe fall" thereof throughihe tank, i t sr fisi in -s e msi as a h snizi with the action of the gate flanges and the passage of the heaviest element through the diverting the material at difierent points in its travel whereby materials of difierentspecific gravity may be separated, such'means including gates movable across the tank to divide it into separate compartments, the moving of such gates being timed, with the intermittent feed and catch receptacles arranged to be then placed into separate communication with each compartment.

3. A concentrator comprising a vertical tank arranged to be normally filled with water, means for delivering the material to be separated at intermittent intervals into the upper end of the tank whereby it will drop by gravity through the water, and means for diverting the material at dilierent points in its travel whereby materials of dif-,

ferentspecific gravity may be separated,

A such means including a plurality of catch receptacles arranged at'spaced points along the vertical length of the tank, the tank having openings communicating therewith, and inclined gates arranged to intermittently move across the tank adjacent the openings in predetermined relation with the material delivering "means and divert the material through the openings into the re- 7 V ceptacle, V V

4:- A concentrator comprising a vertical tank arranged to be normally filled with Water, means for delivering the material to be separated into the upper end of the tank whereby it will drop by gravity through the water, and means for diverting the material 7 at different points in its travel whereby materials of diiierent specific gravity may be separated, and means operable in conjunction with the aforementioned means for intermittently draining the dirty water and non-valuable material from the upper end of the tank. 7

5. A concentrator comprising a vertical tank arranged to be normally filled with water, means for delivering the material to be separated into the upper end of the tank whereby it will drop by gravity through the 7 water, means for diverting the material at dilierent points in it's'travel whereby materials of different specific gravity may be separated, and means for intermittently draining the dirty water and non-valuable material from the upper end of the tank, this including a drain gate and a gate to close across the tank below the drain gate,

with means for closing said closure'gate and opening the drain gate simultaneously therewhereof aflii: my signature With. L

In testimony in presence oftwo witnesses.

' ARTHUR'BARING-GOULD.

V Witnesses:

VERADINE WArNEn, V BERNARD PRIVAT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, -by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). O. 

